NASCAR team teases major announcement, tells fans to ‘save the date’

Petty GMS Motorsports hinted that they have something to announce later this week, advising NASCAR fans to “save the date”.

Wednesday, January 11 is set to be a significant day for Petty GMS Motorsports, just over one month before the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway.

The team which entered the Cup Series last year following a partnership between Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing told fans to “save the date” for this Wednesday, indicating that an announcement of some sort could be on its way.

The hint came on social media and was made public this past Sunday evening.

Already confirmed by the team for 2023 is that Erik Jones is set to return for a second year behind the wheel of the No. 43 Chevrolet, with Dave Elenz returning as his crew chief.

Additionally, rookie Noah Gragson is set to replace Ty Dillon behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet, and he is bringing crew chief Luke Lambert with him from the JR Motorsports Xfinity Series team.

There hasn’t been much confirmed, however, surrounding the addition of Jimmie Johnson.

It was announced just before the 2022 season ended that Johnson is set to join the team in 2023 as not only a part-time driver but as a co-owner.

Johnson initially retired from the Cup Series after the 2020 season, his 19th season competing full-time for Hendrick Motorsports, but opted to return to the sport in 2023 after spending the last two seasons competing for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar.

The seven-time Cup Series champion is set to make his debut with the team in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, but no other starts have been confirmed for him throughout the 2023 season.

A crew chief and a car number also remain unconfirmed, and there has even been talk of Petty GMS Motorsports potentially changing their team’s name to reflect the arrival of the 47-year-old El Cajon, California native as the newest co-owner of the organization.